


you never stood a chance

by kagshina



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Barista Lance, Flirting, M/M, Pining Lance (Voltron), Snapchat, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 14:37:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9076885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kagshina/pseuds/kagshina
Summary: lance to hunk ♡>i’m gonna fukin die hunk oh mygod i sent>keith a work out selfie that i wan supposed to fcukin send to you and you know what it said>”BET YOU WANNA LICK THESE NIPS”>HUNK I WILL NEVE BE ABLE TO FCE HIM AGAIN I WANT TO DI E(Or, Keith is beautiful, Lance has a crush, and there's lots of shirtless selfies)





	

**Author's Note:**

> me a few days ago: i'm just gonna write a 3-5k snapchat fic!!  
> me now: ........
> 
> ANYWAY, i wanted to write something light hearted and fun (and shortish) before i start my next chaptered fic!

Lance stares down at the snapchat, panicking. _Oh god, shit, holy mother fucking crow_. He’d just sent a shirtless gym selfie to Keith, someone he barely knew, with the caption ‘bet you wanna lick these nips.’

That was supposed to go to Hunk! Hunk would have laughed and wrote back something like ‘sure buddy,’ used to Lance’s slightly inappropriate snapchats by now. Lance likes to think he has a nice body, it’s definitely gotten nicer in the six months he’s been going to the gym. He likes taking pictures, why wouldn’t he? And he likes sending them to his best friend, who gives him the praise he’s looking for. (Bless Hunk and his never ending compliments.)

What he doesn't like is accidentally sending suggestive snapchats to Keith fucking Kogane, who he’s had a grand total of four conversations with, one of those conversations happening last night over snapchat, Keith having asked Lance what the reading assignment was for their Writing 121 class. 

That’s how this happened! It was all Keith’s fault. If Keith wouldn't have snapchatted him last night, then his name wouldn’t have been in the “friends” section and seriously, why did snapchat think they were friends after sending a grand total of five snapchats to each other? _Come on Snapchat!_ So this was Keith’s fault and it was Snapchat’s fault. Lance couldn't be blamed.

Lance swipes Hunk’s snapchat name to the right, frantically typing out a message to inform Hunk of his impending doom. 

 **lance** _to hunk ♡_  
>i’m gonna fukin die hunk oh mygod i sent  
>keith a work out selfie that i wan supposed to fcukin send to you and you know what it said  
>”BET YOU WANNA LICK THESE NIPS”  
>HUNK I WILL NEVE BE ABLE TO FCE HIM AGAIN I WANT TO DI E

_hunk ♡ is typing…_

**hunk ♡**  
>did you tell him you sent it on accident?

 **lance** _to hunk ♡_  
>FUCK NO I DIDNT IH NY GOD

Lance leaves his conversation with Hunk in a rush, ready to send an apology snapchat to Keith reading something like ‘hey haha funny story i didn't mean to send you a shirtless pic!! and i don't actually think u wanna lick these nips!! that was for hunk please pretend it never happened!!’ but then he sees that the snapchat was already opened, and _oh dear god_.

_snapchat from keith_kogane_

Well, Lance thinks he’s lived a good life. He didn't expect to die at the young age of nineteen, but alas, here he is, dying shirtless in the middle of a fucking gym because snapchat had decided to put Keith’s name under the goddamn best friend section. He sucks in a breath, accepts that this is the end, and opens the snapchat.

 **keith_kogane**  
_(Keith with his lips pressed together and pulled up in a small smile, forehead crinkled and eyebrows raised with his hair up)_  
>lol

Lance stares at the snapchat for the full ten seconds it’s there, and then it disappears and he blinks, trying to understand what the hell just happened. He’s still alive, still breathing.

 _Lol_. What does that even mean?! And okay, what the hell is with that hair? And _fuck_ , the selfie in general? Keith never striked Lance as a selfie person, not that Lance had really thought about it much, but damn, even Lance couldn't deny that the guy could take a good selfie! He looked… fuck, he looked _good_.  

Lance groans, causing a few people in the gym to look his way. Right, shit, he isn't alone. He ignores their glances and types out a message to Keith. 

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
>so i'm sorry about that last snap!! that was supposed to go to a friend and i clicked your name instead  
>if we could just pretend it never happened that would be pretty neat 

 _keith_kogane is typing_...

Come on, fucking Keith Kogane, type faster! Lance is in the middle of a _crisis_. 

 **keith_kogane**  
>don't worry about it

 _Oh thank god_. Lance lets out a breath, thankful that the world has decided not to end him on this fateful day. Lance’s legacy continues!

 _keith_kogane is typing_...

 _What?_ Oh come on! Lance resists the urge to groan again, not wanting the extra attention right now. They don't need to witness his misery.

 **keith_kogane**  
>is that the gym on 5th street?

Wow, okay, that’s definitely not what Lance had been expecting, but that’s a good thing… he thinks.

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
>yeah

 **keith_kogane**  
>oh cool i usually go there in the mornings

Lance stares at the words, no idea how he’s supposed to respond to that. Keith goes to the gym! Cool! No surprise there! He probably bench presses way more than Lance. Shit, maybe he should start going to the gym everyday instead of a few times a week.

Lance types out a few thumbs up emojis and sends them to Keith, putting an end to this embarrassing experience.

 

 

 

Lance drops his head onto the counter, regretting staying up until three in the morning last night when he knew he had an 8 hour shift starting at seven in the goddamn morning. He wants to sleep, to curl up under his warm, warm blankets and spend his Sunday dreaming until two in the afternoon. What he doesn’t want is to be working, especially this early, but Lance can’t afford to be picky when it comes to jobs. He needs the money.

He has to make it through five whole hours before Hunk will come in, like he does every Sunday at noon, to buy coffee and save him from relentless boredom. And _okay_ , it’s not like his job is bad, it’s actually pretty nice when he’s not exhausted, but today isn’t one of those days.

He hears the bell of the coffee shop door and forces himself up, smiling at the customer like he isn’t currently dead inside. He’s perfected the Lance McClain charm even in this state of exhaustion. It’s one of his many talents.

People flow in and out in a busy stream, and Lance finds himself thankful because at least now he’s not at such a high risk of falling asleep on the job. Allura would kill him if he ever did that (again). It’s not until nine that he finally gets a moment to stand and do nothing, and he uses that time to check his phone, not really expecting anything, but his eyes widen the second he sees his lockscreen.

_snapchat from keith_kogane_

Why is Keith snapchatting him?! Maybe he has another question about their class? Lance opens the snap with a sort of urgency, and then he wishes he hadn’t because holy fucking shit it’s a picture of Keith at the gym, the same gym Lance had been at just a couple days ago, and he’s not wearing a shirt and holy moly hell he looks _good_.

Lance nearly screenshots the snap before realizing that _no_ , that is a very bad idea, that it is not acceptable to screenshot your classmate’s shirtless selfie when you’ve barely interacted with them!

Lance glances around the shop, hoping that someone walks up to him in that moment so he’ll have an excuse not to send a snap back, but nope, of course everyone is fine on their own when he needs them most. He lets out a small, distressed sigh before taking a picture to send back.

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
_(Lance making a tired face next to the coffee machine)_  
>save me from this misery

 **keith_kogane**  
_(Keith standing in front of a mirror with a black t-shirt and wet hair, his face expressionless and half covered by his phone)_  
>work?

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
_(Lance with his elbow on the counter, cheek resting in his hand, side eyeing)_  
>i prefer to call it hell 

 **keith_kogane**  
_(Keith smiling with a sympathetic expression)_  
>that bad?

Lance shakes his head when the snap disappears. _Dear lord this boy is pretty_. The urge to screenshot his selfies remains strong, but Lance resists.

He’s holding his phone out in front of him, about to take a picture when he hears someone clear their throat. He looks up to see a middle aged woman standing at the counter, looking incredibly impatient. He hurries to shove his phone away, offering her an apologetic smile as he takes her order.

 

 

 

Lance is staring up at his ceiling, or more like glaring, and he thinks if he has to do a second more of homework tonight, he’ll fling himself into some black hole that’ll take him far, far away from the stress that is college.

He rolls over on his side, shoving the books and papers away from him. He doesn’t want to look at them, doesn’t want to think about them. His brain is fried, he’s tired, and his head hurts. Lance makes a pathetic whimpering sound, turning over so he can ignore the work he still has to do. It can wait until tomorrow. 

Lance grabs his phone, scrolls through social media, opens snapchat, and decides that life is fucking short so he might as well snapchat Keith, who’d looked annoyingly cute in their Writing 121 class this morning. Stupid Keith and his selfies. Lance had never gotten distracted looking at Keith before, but now he doesn't want to tear his eyes away! What an unfortunate situation.

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
_(Lance with his head on his pillow, a hand thrown over his forehead, looking exhausted)_  
>dropping out of college rip lance mcclain

 **keith_kogane**  
_(Keith wears a stern expression, his hair a mess)_  
>go to sleep

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
_(Lance sticks his tongue out)_  
_> u can’t tell me what to do_

 **keith_kogane**  
_(Keith’s face is barely visible, mostly everything is black)_  
>oh well i just did

_keith_kogane is typing_

**keith_kogane**  
>i’m going to sleep  
>you should too 

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
>WELL i guess since u asked so nicely  
>night 

 **keith_kogane**  
>goodnight

Lance lets out a sigh, leaning over his bed to pick up his charger from the ground. He plugs his phone in and decides to listen to Keith, dumb Keith and his cute dumb face.

 

 

 

Lances wakes up the next morning to the sound of his ten o’clock alarm going off, and when he grabs his phone to turn it off, he sees that Keith sent him a snapchat. _At seven in the morning_.

 **keith_kogane**  
_(Keith wears a black tank top with grey joggers, standing in front of the gym mirror)_

Lance falls to his back on his bed, arms spread out. It’s too early to deal with Keith and his gym selfies, _not that he wants them to stop_. Oh, he definitely wants them to continue, even if they make Lance feel a little pathetic compared to Keith. The dude is working out at seven in the fucking morning every day and Lance can’t even drag his ass out of bed until ten, and that in itself is quite the task.

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
_(Lance with his face shoved into his pillow, eyes closed)_  
>why the fuck were u awake at 7am do u hate urself

 **keith_kogane**  
_(Keith’s lips pulled up in an amused smile)_  
>it’s the best time to work out

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
_(Lance with his head still shoved in his pillow)_  
>ur crazy

Lance forces his body out of bed, making his way to the shower. The water runs hot down his body, slowly pulling the sleep from him. Ten minutes later he’s standing in front of the half fogged up mirror, looking at his chest and the abs that he barely has. It’s quite the improvement from high school and he’s proud of himself! Yeah, his body might not look as great as Keith’s but Lance still thinks he has a nice body.

He grins at himself in the mirror, holding up his phone. Shirtless selfies seem to be an acceptable thing between Keith and him.

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
_(Lance shirtless in front of the mirror, the tip of his boxers barely visible, his hair wet)_  
>i can look good without going to the gym everyday

 **keith_kogane**  
_(A cup of coffee)_  
>you look good

 **keith_kogane**  
_(Keith’s shoulders lifted in a small shrug, smiling innocently)_  
>but you could look better

Lance huffs loudly, eyes widening at the snaps. Keith said he looked good! But Keith also said he could look better. It isn’t exactly an insult, but it feels like a challenge, and Lance never turns down a challenge. _He’ll show Keith just how good he can look_.

 

 

 

“Hey Hunk, get in this picture with me,” Lance requests, the two of them sprawled out all over their living room floor, papers everywhere.

“You’re supposed to be studying, Lance, not taking selfies,” Hunk says, but he scooches towards Lance anyway, smiling at the camera.

Lance taps on the screen, making the filters appear at the bottom. He scrolls through them to the flower crown filter, and Hunk spares him an amused but also fond look before turning his attention back to the camera.

“We’re so cute,” Lance says with a grin as Hunk moves back to his homework.

“Who are you sending that to?” Hunk asks while Lance writes a caption. 

“Keith,” Lance replies without thinking, and then he pauses, meeting Hunk’s gaze.

Hunk raises an eyebrow, “The Keith that you… accidentally sent that one snapchat to?”

Lance nods, keeping his expression nonchalant. “Yeah, we snapchat now,” he shrugs, ignoring Hunk’s questioning looks. 

Lance knows that if he starts talking about the whole “casual snapchatting with the cute guy he barely knows” situation, he’ll let the small fact slip that he’s kind of, maybe, just a little, developing a crush on the guy. It’s not Lance’s fault! Keith is _pretty_ , and he has nice eyes, and he’s not entirely bad to talk to.

Hunk doesn’t press the matter, turning his attention back to his homework, and Lance sends the snap.

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
_(Lance and Hunk smiling with flower crowns)_  
>we’re dying bc homework

 **keith_kogane**  
_(Keith with his hair up, the light making his eyes shine)_  
>cute

Okay, _okay_ , holy mother of flip. In a moment of weakness, Lance screenshots the picture, and as much as he wants to regret it he can’t because Keith is so goddamn pretty and oh! Then there’s the fact that he just called Lance cute. And Hunk, too, of course. 

Lance resists the urge to snapchat back and grabs his computer from next to him. He has an essay to write, pretty boy will have to wait until later.

 

 

 

Lance rubs at his tired eyes, and then he stares at the paper he’s just spent the last three hours working on. He feels himself smiling, re reading the essay one last time before he decides it’s good enough for a grade. It’s the first time in a while he feels genuinely happy with his writing.

He grabs his phone, which he’s neglected since he started working on the essay, and finds that he has three snapchats and two texts. _Well, looks who’s popular now_. He looks at the snapchats first, one from Allura and the other two from Keith. 

 **Princess Allura**  
_(Allura with a full face of makeup, including blue glitter and blue lipstick)_

Lance screenshots the snap, as he does whenever Allura sends him a selfie. He remembers when he first started his job at the coffee shop, and he’d spent a week trying to hit on her, only for her boyfriend to come in one day and watch Lance make a fool of himself.

He sighs at the distant memory, glad that Shiro had found amusement in the situation rather than wanting to hit him for hitting on his girlfriend. Lance has since come to like Shiro, making easy conversation with the man whenever he stopped by the shop to see Allura.

He’s even friends with Allura now, and part of that friendship includes receiving her beautiful selfies. He responds the same way every time, with a pick up line.

 **lance** _to Princess Allura_  
>do you have a map? because i keep getting lost in your eyes

Lance grins at his own cleverness (or rather, his excellent ability to memorize pick up lines), and opens his snapchats from Keith. 

 **keith_kogane**  
_(A blender with the lid to the side, it’s contents all over the place)_  
>i was making a smoothie but didn’t put the lid on all the way

 **keith_kogane**  
_(Keith with small dots of smoothie on his cheek and forehead)_  
>it got on my face

Lance finds himself laughing out loud, screenshotting the last picture. Keith looks slightly distressed, and it’s _adorable_.

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
>thank u for making my night with those snaps

He’s grinning when he goes to open his messages, the two texts from Pidge.

 **Pidgeon**  
>Do you and Hunk want to get lunch tomorrow?  
>I get the day off from school 

 **Lance**  
>sure pidgeon!!!  
>u wanna come to campus or want us to meet u somewhere?

 **Pidgeon**  
>I’ll meet you guys by the food trucks  
>Does 12 work?

 **Lance**  
>works w me!!  
>i’ll ask hunk in the morning i’m p sure he’s asleep rn

 **Pidgeon**  
>You live with him how hard is it to just check

 **Lance**  
>leave me alone pidge i’m tired!!!  
>i’ll see u tomorrow

 

 

 

The moment Lance spots Pidge he starts running towards her, leaving an amused Hunk to watch Lance throw his arms around Pidge, picking her up off the ground and spinning her in a circle.

“Lance, _put me down_ ,” Pidge demands, and Lance follows her order, his expression both apologetic and excited. 

“I haven’t seen you in _four months_ , Pidge. I missed you,” Lance says as Hunk comes up to his side, opening his arms for Pidge to walk into. Pidge does. 

Lance gasps, taking mock offense. “So you want to hug him but not me?! I see how it is,” Lance huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. 

Pidge rolls her eyes, pulling away from the hug. “First of all, _Hunk didn’t pick me up and spin me around_. Second of all… he gives better hugs.” 

Lance wants to deny it, but he knows Hunk’s hugs, he _lives_ for Hunk’s hugs. No one gives better hugs than Hunk, _no one_.

“Okay, come here you two,” Lance stars, gesturing for them to come closer, “Time for a selfie to celebrate our reunion with our special Pidgeon.”

Pidge groans, but she follows Hunk to Lance’s side anyway, scrunching her face at Lance while the picture is being taken.

“Are you done yet?” Pidge asks.

“We have to take one on snapchat!” Pidge groans again and Hunk just laughs, used to his friend constantly taking pictures.

Lance opens snapchat and holds the camera out, taking the picture. “Okay, _there_ , now I’m done.”

 **lance** _to his story and keith_kogane_  
_(Lance smiling with his arm around Hunk, Hunk smiling with his arm around Pidge, Pidge looks like she’s suffering)_  
>reunited with our cute lil pidgeon ♡ 

Lance puts his phone in his pocket and turns his attention back to his friends. “Okay!” he shouts excitedly, “Who’s ready for food?”

Hunk nods his head eagerly and the three of them wander around the food trucks. Once they’re finally sitting down, Lance and Hunk ask Pidge how her senior year is going.

The three of them had become friends in sophomore year, when Pidge was a freshman. She was only twelve at the time, having skipped two grades.

She’d been put in an upper level math class, which was how she met Hunk, and they became friends, and naturally, she soon became friends with Lance too, because no one could be friends with Hunk without also being friends with Lance. They were a package deal!

She talks about a robotics competition she’s in, and how she’s totally going to kick ass. Lance nods in agreement, and Hunk says they’ll make sure to come to the competition to support her.

“The school’s finally making a rule that will let trans students use the right restroom,” Pidge informs proudly. 

“That’s really great,” Hunk says. He and Lance had both been apart of the school’s GSA club in high school, and they’d spent a lot of time talking to the school administration about protecting the safety of their trans students.

Hunk and Lance catch Pidge up on what they’ve been doing, which consists mostly of homework and classes.

“College has made us boring,” Lance sighs dramatically, dropping his head in his hands. “I was supposed to do things! Party it up! Instead I’m always in my room or at the library or at _work_. It’s killing my game. How am I supposed to spread the Lance McClain charm if I’m always doing _homework?_  

“It hasn't ruined all your game,” Hunk says casually, and Lance shoots him daggers, knowing exactly what he’s talking about. Of course Hunk has to bring that up _now_. 

Pidge raises an eyebrow, “Lance, you never had game in the first place.” 

Lance scowls. “I’m loved by all!” 

Pidge rolls her eyes, but she doesn't disagree with him. Lance grins.

They talk for a while longer until Hunk and Lance have to go, and unlike earlier, Lance asks this time, “Pidge, am I allowed to give you a goodbye hug?”

“Since you asked, why not.”

Lance throws his arms around her happily, squeezing her tight. 

“Lance, I can’t _breath_.” 

Lance only loosens his hold a little. “You better text us, Pidgeon. We miss you. It’s not the same without you.” He finally lets go of her, and she’s biting back a smile.

“I’ll be here next year,” she says.

“That's not soon enough,” Lance argues. 

“You’ll just have to deal with it,” Pidge shrugs, and then she turns to Hunk, letting him wrap her in his arms. 

Lance spends the rest of the day smiling and full of energy.

 

 

 

“Hey Allura!” Lance greets when he walks into work, all smiles.

“You’re late,” Allura tells him, staring at him blankly.

“By _two minutes_ ,” Lance says, “And besides, how could you stay mad at me when I’m your favorite employee?”

Allura snorts. “Favorite? Really?”

Lance nods, “I keep things interesting. You’d get bored without me here.”

Allura stares at him for a moment, expression unmoving, and then she nods in agreement. “You’re right, it would get boring if I didn’t get a chance to watch your sad attempts at flirting with the customers.” She makes a small, _obviously fake_ laugh and smiles widely before turning around and leaving Lance to squeak in protest about how his flirting is the _best_ , and how dare she imply anything but!

He shakes his head with a loud huff, but he forgets all about Allura’s implications when someone walks inside the shop and up to the counter. He takes her order, chatting while he makes her drink. Lance is good at making conversation, and even Allura can’t deny he’s good at pulling in regulars.

Six hours later his shift ends and he’s sitting on the bus, heading back to his apartment. He puts his music on and gets a snapchat from Keith only a few seconds after. It brings a smile to his face.

 **keith_kogane**  
_(Keith’s hand is on his cheek, pulling downward, he looks exhausted)_  
>i’ve been doing math for four hours

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
>dude u look like shit  
>i mean don't get me wrong u still look good  
>but yea u look like shit 

_keith_kogane is typing…_

**keith_kogane**  
>thanks for pointing out the obvious  
>i’m not even finished but it doesn't make any sense

Lance sends his response before he really has a chance to consider what he’s offering.

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
>do u want help?

And then it hits him that, shit, he was inadvertently asking Keith to hang out. The only time they ever see each other outside of snapchat is in the one class they share, and even there it isn't like they actually interact! Lance starts worrying, afraid that he’s crossed a boundary, afraid that—

_keith_kogane is typing…_

Lance expects Keith to turn him down, probably with a polite ‘thanks for the offer but i’ll figure it out myself.” He gets the exact opposite.

 **keith_kogane**  
>wait really?  
>that would be great if you had the time

Lance stares at the words for longer than necessary, checking to make sure they say what he thinks they say. 

He feels a sense of excitement as he types out a reply. Lance had gotten used to sending Keith random snapchats throughout the day, and Keith sending them back. The idea of actually spending time with him in person is… a little nerve wracking, but in a good way.

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
>i can make the time for u ;-)  
>what math are you taking? 

 **keith_kogane**  
>111 

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
>ok cool i can definitely help u  
>wanna meet up tomorrow?

 **keith_kogane**  
>yeah  
>does 1 work for you? 

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
>yeah but i’ll only have an hour

 **keith_kogane**  
>that's fine

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
>better not slack off cuz i won't go easy on u ;;-)

 **keith_kogane**  
>wouldn't expect anything less 

Lance could just end the conversation there, but he kind of _enjoys_ talking to Keith and he still has almost ten minutes left on the bus, _so_ …

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
>what's ur major btw? 

 **keith_kogane**  
>double majoring in dance and studio art

Lance is pretty sure his entire heart stops, thinking about Keith fucking _dancing_. How did he not know this before?! 

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
>you dANCE? 

 **keith_kogane**  
>ever since i was a little kid yeah

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
>holy shit  
>that's awesome

 **keith_kogane**  
>we have a dance concert at the end of the term if you wanna come  
>what's your major?

Lance knows one thing for sure: there’s no way in hell he’s missing that dance concert.

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
>astronomy!!! 

 **keith_kogane**  
>that's really cool

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
>hell yea it is

 **keith_kogane**  
>i'm gonna get ready for bed now but i’ll see you tomorrow  
>thanks for offering to help

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
>ITS ONLY 10PM  
>....oh ya u wake up at fucking 7 in the morning to work out

 **keith_kogane**  
>i actually wake up at 6

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
>that's horrifying

 **keith_kogane**  
>goodnight lance

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
>goodnight weirdo

 

 

 

“Ready to get mathy?” Lance asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

The corner of Keith’s lip perks up in a barely noticeable smile, and he takes the seat next to Lance, who tries not to stare. Lance is fine, he’s totally, one hundred percent fine, and definitely not dying over the fact that a beautiful boy is sitting next to him.

“Yeah,” Keith says, pulling his books from his backpack and setting them on the table.

“So, uh, what’s confusing you?” Lance questions, and then they dive straight into the math. Lance promised not to go easy, after all, and he’s a man of his word. 

The hour flies by, and Lance has a surprisingly good time considering all they’re doing is math. Lance only gets caught staring once, and when Keith asks what he’s looking at, Lance’s smart response is to say ‘Just wondering how someone who woke up at six in the morning doesn’t have bags under their eyes.” Keith rolls his eyes and says it’s because _he_ actually knows what a decent bedtime is.

They start packing up at 2:01, and Lance grins as he stands up, placing his hands on his hips. “So, am I the best tutor ever or what?”

Keith looks at him, shrugs, and says, “You weren’t bad.”

“Wow, I rock your math world and that's all I get?” Lance lets out a distressed sigh, putting a hand over his heart and looking into the distance. “I feel so under appreciated." 

Keith chuckles, and _what the fuck_ , he needs to do that again right now because that was probably one of the cutest sounds Lance has heard in his entire life. “I appreciate you enough to ask if you wouldn’t mind doing this again.”

Lance perks up, and then he remembers that he’s got to keep his cool, pretend that he’s totally not psyched about getting to hang out with Keith again. Ha, Keith who? He couldn’t care less about that guy.

Lance puts a hand on the table next to him, leaning his weight to one side. “My services are ten dollars an hour.”

Keith’s face drops, and Lance has to be making up the disappointment in his expression. Is he disappointed? Wait, could he be disappointed about not getting to hang out with Lance? No, that’s stupid. He’s probably just disappointed because he wanted a free tutor. Mixed with the disappointment is confusion. 

“Wha—” Keith starts to say, but gets cut off by Lance’s laughter.

“Dude, I’m fucking with you. I’m totally all for helping you out again.” Lakes shakes his head, letting out one last laugh. He doesn’t miss the way Keith’s expression relaxes, and he wears what could _almost_ be a smile. “But uh, I like, gotta go right now otherwise I’ll be late to class so I’ll snapchat you later and we can work out a time.”

Keith nods, says a quick goodbye, and then Lance is off, feeling ready to defeat the rest of his day.

 

 

 

They slip into a routine after the first day in the library. At first it’s just Lance helping Keith out with math, but after a week of meeting up they start working on their own things, Lance blabbing away about his classes while Keith half listens and half works. It’s nice, it’s easy, it’s convenient, and Lance really doesn’t want it to stop.

They still snapchat, they’re currently at a 37 day snap streak, only now their relationship doesn’t just extend to being “best friends” on snapchat. They’re actually friends! In real life! The only problem: being friends with Keith in real life and getting to know him is turning this _little_ crush of his into a _big_ crush. It was easier when Keith was just a pretty face he snapchatted, but now Keith is a pretty face who he not only snapchats, but also hangs out with on a regular basis! 

Lance also has Keith’s schedule practically memorized, almost more so than Hunk’s and he _lives_ with Hunk! But Keith is a busy person, and since Lance now monopolizes most of his free time, or at least his study time, since Keith never really had much _free time_ to begin with, he has to know when Keith is available. Surprisingly, their schedules work nicely around each other.

“Dude,” Lance breaths out a sigh, “I’m exhausted. I need a break.” He leans down onto the table, arms spread out and his head in between them. It’s a Saturday and they’ve been working for the past five hours, and Lance is pretty sure death is coming for him.

“Want to get something to eat?” Keith asks, and Lance’s head shoots right the fuck up.

They’ve never done anything outside of school work and snapchatting. Getting food together would be adding a whole new aspect to their friendship, and Lance is all about anything that means spending more time with Keith.

He nods slowly, like he didn’t just have to stop himself from shouting out an immediate yes. Lance has got to be chill about this, act like getting something to eat with the guy he’s crushing on isn’t a big fucking deal. “Sure, sounds good,” he says, and then mentally congratulates himself on a job well done. _Totally chill_.

“Where do you want to go?” Keith asks, picking his things up from the table and stuffing it in his bag. Lance follows suit. 

“Uh, food trucks?” Lance suggests. That’s usually his go to option. 

“Sure,” Keith agrees, zipping up his bag and tossing it onto his shoulders. They walk out of the library in silence, and Lance suddenly feels nervous. This is new territory for them. It’s easier in the library, where they have their work to fall back onto, but now Lance doesn’t have that crutch.

Lance is used to charming people, he’s used to flirting, but that’s with people who he has nothing to lose. If a stranger rejects him, Lance can just hop into Hunk’s bed and complain, and Hunk will run a hand through Lance’s hair and console him, and _boom_ , stranger forgotten.

Keith isn’t a stranger. Keith is his friend, a friend who he happens to really like, and he doesn’t want to mess it up. He doesn’t want to lose the gym selfies Keith sends every morning, or the daily study sessions, or Keith letting him ramble about his family when his mind shuts off and he can no longer work. He’s gotten used to all those things, and he doesn’t want to get used to not having them.

“So how’s practice for the dance concert going?” Lance asks as they walk, swallowing down his nerves. Lance is good at making conversation! He can do this! “You have to go tonight, right?”

“Yeah, practice every night except Sundays,” Keith tells him. “It’s going well. We have all our dances set for the concert so now we just have to practice them,” he pauses, looking somewhat hesitant, before adding, “I actually, uh, helped choreograph one of the dances.”

Lance’s eyes widen. “Really?” he asks, not hiding the awe from his voice. Keith nods. “Dude, that’s so cool. There’s no way I’m missing your concert. I really want to see you dance.”

Keith keeps his eyes in front of him, not looking at Lance, but he can still see the smile he’s wearing. Lance wishes he would smile more because _goddamn_ is it pretty, especially when his smile reaches his eyes. That’s enough to make Lance’s heart skip a pathetic beat.

“I’m glad you’re gonna be there,” Keith says, and then their conversation is stopped by their arrival at the food trucks.

The rest of the afternoon goes by smoothly, and Lance finds himself forgetting that he was ever nervous in the first place. They talk about school, mostly, why they chose their majors, how their classes are going, which professors they love and which they hate.

It’s fun, it’s natural, and Lance wants to do it again.

 

 

 

“ _Huuuuunk_ , this is a _crisis_ ,” Lance whines, leaning over the counter so he can take Hunk’s hands in his own. 

“What’s a crisis?” Shiro asks, coming out of the backroom with Allura. Shiro doesn’t even _work_ here and yet he’s allowed to go anywhere. Perks of dating the boss.

“Oh god, don’t get him started again,” Hunk pleads, but it’s too late, because Lance is already talking.

“ _Okay_ ,” Lance starts, taking a breath. “So I started snapchatting this guy, like, over a month ago, and it was fun, he sent me hot shirtless gym selfies. Who doesn’t want to get those, right? But now we’re _friends_ and we hang out almost every day, and ugh, he’s so cute,” Lance turns to Hunk, “Right Hunk?”

“He’s attractive,” Hunk agrees with a shrug, and Lance goes right back to his story, Shiro and Allura sharing an amused glance. It’s a good thing Sunday afternoons are slow.

“At first it was just like ‘oh yeah, this guy is really pretty, I totally wouldn’t mind making out with him’ but now I want to do more than just make out with him!” Shiro and Allura both give him a look, and Lance huffs, shaking his head, “Not like _that_. I mean I wanna, like, take him out. _On a date_.” Shiro’s face softens, and Allura just looks amused.

“So why is this a crisis?” Allura asks.

" _Because he doesn’t like me._ I know, shocking, what’s not to like? I’m attractive, smart, and I’ll totally treat you right.”

“It’s true, Lance would make a great boyfriend,” Hunk pipes up, and Lance looks lovingly into his best friend’s eyes.

“ _Awwww_ , Hunk. I love you. Why can’t I just like you instead? We would make the best couple.”

Hunk laughs, and he’s wearing the cutest blush that Lance just _adores_. “We would make a pretty good couple.”

Lance sighs, loud and dramatic, staring off into the distance. 

Shiro clears his throat. “How do you know he doesn’t like you?” 

“ _I don’t know_ ,” Lance says truthfully, “I just get that _feeling_. And I don’t even know if he likes guys!” Relationships and sexuality weren’t something Keith and Lance had ever talked about.

“You could always just… ask?” Shiro suggests, and Lance shakes his head, sighing.

“ _Or_ ,” Lance begins, “I can just ignore the problem until it eventually goes away.”

His friends all give him _the look_ that means they think that’s a bad idea, but none of them try to argue. It’s not like Lance would listen to them, anyway.

 

 

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Keith tells him before walking off, and Lance watches until he disappears from view, and maybe his gaze rests on Keith’s ass for a few seconds longer than necessary but there's no proof of that. 

He’s about to dive into his physics homework when he notices Keith’s red zip up hoodie still sitting around, and he grins, moving to pick it up and put it on. His physics homework can wait. 

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
_(Lance wearing Keith’s red sweater, flashing a peace sign)_  
>look what you forgot

_keith_kogane is typing…_

Lance waits for the inevitable “can you bring that to me tomorrow” reply but instead he gets— 

 **keith_kogane**  
>that looks good on you

Lance makes a quiet whimpering noise because it’s not _fair_ that Keith can just go around saying stuff like that, making Lance’s insides feel like putty!

 **lance** _to keith_kogane_  
>i’ll bring it back to you tomorrow

 **keith_kogane**  
>it's fine if you don't i have others  
>you can give it back whenever

Lance’s physics homework is completely forgotten, the only thing occupying Lance’s mind being the fact that Keith is letting him keep his sweatshirt. Not permanently, but _still!_

And oh god, it _smells_ like Keith and this is not doing anything to help the whole crush situation. He’s supposed to be ignoring it but that’s kind of difficult when he’s wearing the guy’s jacket for christ sake! Sure, he could just return it tomorrow, but Keith had said he didn't mind him borrowing it and Lance is _weak_.

Lance doesn't reply to the snap, but what he does do is click on Keith’s username, giving him the option to change Keith’s snapchat name.

 _Edit name for keith_kogane_  
_New Name_    
**Pretty Boy**

He clicks save and then remembers that he has actual shit to get done.

 

 

 

Lance shifts, annoyed about the fact that this is the first time in a while he’s managed to get to bed at a reasonable time but it’s not going to make any different because _he can't fucking sleep_. 

He’s been trying for an hour now, and honestly it feels like a waste of time. If he’s not going to sleep he might as well _do_ something. He grabs his phone, scrolls through his apps until he finds himself opening snapchat.

It’s a little past twelve in the morning, he doubts Keith will be awake right now, but he sends a snap anyway. Worth a shot. 

 **lance** _to Pretty Boy_  
>are u awake?

 **lance** _to Pretty Boy_  
_(Lance with his arm over his face, flash on)_  
>i can't sleep

Lance closes the app and and checks his other social media, and he's watching a puppy video on facebook when he gets the notification. 

_Pretty Boy is typing..._

It sends a nervous excitement through him, but he ignores that in favor of grinning over Keith’s new name.

 **Pretty Boy**  
>i just finished up some homework  
>want me to stay up with you? 

 _No, no, no_. Keith isn't supposed to he nice! _Keith isn't supposed to offer to stay up with him!_ That makes Lance like him even more and he's supposed to be _moving on_.

 **lance** _to Pretty Boy_  
>it's fine you have to wake up early tomorrow 

 **Pretty Boy**  
>i don't mind

That makes Lance’s heart flutter in a not completely unpleasant way, and Lance decides that he can't make Keith’s decisions for him, so if the guy wants to stay up with him, who is he to try and persuade him otherwise?

 **lance** _to Pretty Boy_  
>attractive and nice?  
>wow, ur the whole package

And yeah, _okay_ , maybe those aren't the types of things he should be sending his crush who he's trying to _get over_ , but Lance likes to flirt, and he especially like to flirt with Keith, and like he’s said before: he’s _weak_. 

 **Pretty Boy**  
>guess that applies to you too then 

 _Oh my god_ , this was a horrible idea. Lance’s stomach is fluttering with those stupid butterfly things and he feels a heat rise in his cheeks. Keith is making him blush! _Ugh!_

 **lance** _to Pretty Boy_  
>obviously i’m the whole package  
>i mean, come on, who wouldn't want to date me?

Maybe that's bordering on dangerous territory, because Lance knows the answer to that is Keith, but it's not like Keith knows Lance likes him. _Right_? Oh shit, what if he’s been obvious without realizing it? Lance is about to think about all of his past interactions with Keith when he gets a snapchat.

 **Pretty Boy**  
>it’s a mystery

Oh god, nope, Lance’s heart is not cut out for this. So much for ignoring the problem until it goes away. The problem is getting bigger! The problem is Keith flirts _back!_ Lance isn't dumb, he knows it’s just Keith playing along with him, but _man_ it still makes Lance melt. 

 **lance** _to Pretty Boy_  
>do u like space

 **Pretty Boy**  
>yeah 

 **lance** _to Pretty Boy_  
>what do u like about it

 **Pretty Boy**  
>i guess...the vastness of it?  
>i like that it's so big and we don't know all that's out there  
>like the aliens

 **lance** _to Pretty Boy_  
>oh my god  
>OF COURSE YOU WOULD BELIEVE IN ALIENS

 **Pretty Boy**  
>you don't? 

 **lance** _to Pretty Boy_  
>not really

 **Pretty Boy**  
>how can you not believe when we know so little about what's out there?

 **lance** _to Pretty Boy_  
>dude  
>i think that's the deepest thing u’ve ever said to me

 **Pretty Boy**  
>there’s a documentary about it you should watch  
>you’d like it

 **lance** _to Pretty Boy_  
>..............a documentary  
>..........about aliens  
>oh my god  
>oh my god keith do u watch conspiracy theories

 **Pretty Boy**  
>why would you assume i watch conspiracy theories just because i've seen a documentary about aliens  
>it's a really cool documentary

 **lance** _to Pretty Boy_  
>u haven't denied it

 **Pretty Boy**  
>well…

 **lance** _to Pretty Boy_  
>oH MY GOD  
>KEITH

 **Pretty Boy**  
>shut up they're interesting

 **lance** _to Pretty Boy_  
>i can't believe u  
>i’ll watch the alien documentary tho  
>but only if you watch it with me

 **Pretty Boy**  
>i have time on sunday

 **lance** _to Pretty Boy_  
>i work until 5  
>but i'm free anytime after that  
>u can come over?

 **Pretty Boy**  
>okay

 **lance** _to Pretty Boy_  
>yeah  
>god i can't believe i'm gonna watch a documentary about aliens  
>the things i do for pretty boys

 **Pretty Boy**  
>pretty?

 **lance** _to Pretty Boy_  
>don't try to deny ur good looks keith  
>it won't work  
>i have eyes

 **Pretty Boy**  
>whatever you say then

They talk until three in the morning, about space, their favorite movies, what they want to do after college. It’s the most they’ve ever talked and Lance wants more. He wants to talk to Keith about more than just their school work. Hell, he wants to hear all about those ridiculous conspiracy theory documentaries he watches if that’s what Keith wants to talk about. 

Lance sighs as he rolls over in bed, sleep finding him easily. The last thought on his mind before he crashes is that this crush of his isn't something he can ignore.

 

 

 

Lance is leaning against the counter at work, his head resting in his hand. It’s only thirty minutes into his shift and he’s already bored. He hears the jingle of the opening doors and thinks, thank god, at least now he has something to do.

He lifts his head, eyes widening at what he sees, because standing a few feet away from the counter is _Keith_ , who’s looking at him with an expression mirroring Lance’s. What the hell is Keith doing here?!

“Um,” Lance tries, clearing his throat. “Hey. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Hey,” Keith says back, resuming his short walk to the counter. There’s an awkwardness in the air that Lance would kill to get rid of. “So… you work here.”

“Yep,” Lance nods, and he tries to say something else, he really does, but nothing comes. They stand there for a moment in an uncomfortable silence, and then Keith _smiles._

“I go here every morning after the gym,” Keith tells him, and just like that the awkward air between them disappears, and Lance wants to sing out in gratitude.

Instead, he asks, “So why are you here now? _Not that I don’t want you here_. I was actually bored off my ass until you walked in.”

Keith’s eyes shift to the counter and then back up. “I, uh, slept in. So I didn’t work out today.”

“ _You slept in_?” Lance asks, as if this is the craziest thing he’s heard all week. 

“Yes… oh my god, stop looking at me like that. Aren’t you supposed to be taking my order?”

Lance grins, resting a hand on the counter and using it to perk himself up. “What would you like?” He asks, voice smooth, maybe a little flirtatious.

“Black coffee.”

“Seriously?”

“...Yes?”

“That’s gross.”

“You’re gross.”

Lance does a playful wiggle with his upper body and says, “One black coffee coming right up." 

“Thanks.”

“Anything for my favorite customer.”

Lance notices Keith roll his eyes and bite back a smile before he turns around to make the drink, his boredom long gone now. He writes Keith’s name on the cup, and then he pauses in consideration.

Before he can chicken out, Lance scribbles his phone number under Keith’s name, along with the words, “Text me ;)”. Despite how often they hang out and snapchat, they’ve still never exchanged numbers.

He spins back to the counter, holding the cup out to Keith, who takes it, and then- 

“Keith?”

Lance whirls around, seeing Allura and Shiro, and now Shiro’s walking over to Keith like he knows him. How does he know him?!

“Oh, hey Shiro,” Keith says with familiarity, making Lance even more eager to understand what the hell is going on right now.

“I’m surprised to see you here at this time,” Shiro says, like he knows when Keith usually comes in. _Why would he know that? Are they friends?_

“I didn’t get a chance to come in this morning so I’m just dropping by before class,” Keith informs. “I should actually get going.” He turns to Lance then, who has to pretend he wasn’t just staring at them with wide, confused eyes. _Act normal Lance_. “I’ll see you later, Lance,” Keith says with a little wave before turning back to Shiro to say goodbye to him as well.

Lance notices Shiro’s slightly confused expression as well, and then his eyes widen at something and Lance is trying to figure out what, and he follows Shiro’s gaze and _oh god._  Shiro is looking at the cup. The cup where Lance wrote his _number._

Shiro turns to Lance when Keith leaves, eyes narrowed. “Did you write your number on Keith’s cup?”

Lance swallows, feeling extremely nervous under Shiro’s gaze. “Maybe?” He says, shoulders slouching in, making him smaller. “How do you know him, anyway?” Lance asks, his curiosity getting the best of him.

“He’s my brother,” Shiro informs, and Lance’s world stops. “How do you know him?”

“Oh my god." 

“Lance?”

“Oh my god, he’s your _brother."_

Shiro’s expression changes to worry, and he takes a step closer to Lance. “Yeah, uh, Lance? Are you okay?”

“ _I have a crush on your brother,_ ” Lance says, and then he realizes what he’s just said. Out loud. In front of Shiro. Keith’s brother. “Shit, _oh my god_ , you are not allowed to tell him that. Shiro, please don’t tell him that.”

Shiro’s eyes widen, and then his face begins to relax into understanding. “The guy you were talking about last time? You were talking about Keith?”

Lance nods, because that’s all he’s capable of right now.

“Lance, it’s okay. You don’t have to look so terrified. I’m not going to tell him.”

Lance lets out a loud breath of relief, dropping a hand on the counter for support. “Oh thank god,” Lance breaths, but then Shiro has to go and ruin it.

“But I think you should tell him." 

“What?! Now way! That’s a horrible idea,” A pause, “Wait. Does that mean he likes guys?” 

“I’m surprised you haven’t already figured that out on your own.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Lance demands, but Shiro just shrugs, says he has to go, leans in to give Allura a kiss and then leaves Lance with a million questions. Lance turns to Allura, desperate, “Allura,” he starts.

“ _Nope_ ,” Allura interjects, “I have to work. _And so do you_.” Allura nods her head in the direction of the customer waiting for him.

Well, this is just great.

 

 

 

Lance is finishing up his shift when he gets a text.

 **Unknown Number**  
>I can’t believe you wrote your number on my cup

Lance grins, typing back a fast reply.

 **Lance**  
>well ur texting me so it obviously worked 

 **Keith**  
>Does it usually work? 

 **Lance**  
>ur actually the first person i’ve done it for

 **Keith**  
>Really?

 **Lance**  
>i was gonna do it once when i first started work but allura threatened to fire me  
>i dont think she was serious but she is SCARY  
>dont worry, u were worth the risk ❤

 **Keith**  
>How sweet

 **Lance**  
>SOOO….shiro’s ur brother

 **Keith**  
>Yeah

 **Lance**  
>i flirted with allura in front of him  
>before i knew he was her boyfriend  
>i thought he was gonna kill me but he just laughed

 **Keith**  
>That sounds like Shiro  
>And that also sounds like you  
>I actually have to go I just wanted to text you so you’d have my number

 **Lance**  
> AW YOU WANTED ME TO HAVE UR NUMBER  ,’;^)  
>NIGHT NIGHT KEITHY KEITH

 

 

 

Lance is in class, waiting for the professor to show up. He decides to pass the time by taking selfies, after all, he’s looking particularly good today.

He takes a few photos on his camera app before opening snapchat. It would be rude to deprive Keith of his beauty.

 **lance** _to Pretty Boy_  
_(Lance with the dog filter, smiling with his hand resting on his chin)_

Lance’s professor walks in then, and Lance puts his phone away. He can’t afford to be distracted in this class. 

His mind feels exhausted by the end of the lecture, and he pulls his phone out as he gets up, eyes bulging when he sees the notification waiting for him on his lockscreen.

 _Pretty Boy screenshotted your photo_  

 _Holy shit_. Lance has screenshotted a few of Keith’s photos now, but this is the first time Keith has screenshotted one of _his_ photos. That’s not even all though, because he still has an unopened snapchat from Keith.

 **Pretty Boy**  
>cute 

Lance’s heart floats from his chest, and he gets a giddy excited feeling.

 

 

 

“What’s your favorite style of dance?” Lance asks after they’ve spent two hours working on their essays for Writing 121 and are in desperate need of a break.

“Contemporary,” Keith replies without hesitation, and Lance leans forward, elbows on the table, head in his hands.

“What do you like about it?”

Keith’s expression turns thoughtful, and he takes a moment before answering. “Everything else goes away… when I’m dancing, I have more confidence. It helps me express things that I can’t with words.”

“That’s really cool,” Lance says, smiling softly. 

“Do you want,” Keith hesitates, “Do you want to see?" 

“You dance?”

“Yeah..” 

Lance nods as quick as he can, because holy shit does he want to see. “Yes, oh my god, dude, yes.”

“I have videos on my computer,” Keith turns to the laptop sitting on the table in front of him, and then he leans down in his bag, grabbing earphones. He plugs them into the computer and then gives one headphone to Lance, who takes it eagerly and watches Keith open his videos.

Keith clicks on a video, and Lance has to do a double take because _holy crow_ _Allura is on the screen with Keith_.

“Is that Allura?!” Lance asks in shock before Keith can start the video.

“Oh, yeah. She used to be a dancer. She’s still really good… she runs a dance camp for kids during the summer." 

Lance shakes his head in disbelief. “That’s super fucking cool.”

Keith’s lip perks up. “She taught me a lot when I was younger.”

“ _How long have you known her_?”

“Since middle school. She was in high school with Shiro and they started dating.” 

“That’s insane,” Lance says, and makes a mental note to ask Allura about her dancing at work tomorrow.

“I’m gonna start the video now,” Keith tells him, and Lance locks his eyes on the computer, the song “Give Me Love” by Ed Sheeran beginning to play. Keith is wearing a grey shirt that leaves some of his chest exposed, and _shorts_. _He’s wearing shorts_. Lance has only ever seen Keith in jeans or joggers, but _holy moly my_ the shorts are a good look.

Lance feels his chest bubble with some emotion he can’t place, but it feels really good, watching Keith dance. He smiles without realizing it, eyes not wandering from the screen until the video stops.

“Dude,” Lance breaths, “That’s so cool. You’re really good.”

“I’m a dance major, so I have to be,” Keith says with a shrug, but Lance notices the ghost of a smile on his face.

“Is there more?” 

“You want to watch more?” 

“Uh, _duh_.”

Keith gives him a look that Lance thinks means Keith didn’t expect him to want to see more, which is crazy, because Lance could watch these videos all day.

“Okay, sure,” Keith agrees, and Lance inwardly celebrates.

The next thirty minutes is spent watching videos of Keith dance, and the few times Lance takes his eyes off the screen to glance at Keith, he finds that Keith’s eyes are already on him. That does silly things to his heart.

“So,” Lance starts after Keith tells him they’ve watched all the videos Keith has on his laptop. “You must be really flexible." 

Between the awe and admiration he’d felt while watching those videos was something else, something more along the lines of imagining Keith’s body up against his own.

“I’m—um—yeah,” Keith says, and Lance keeps himself from sighing out loud at the thought of Keith’s flexibility. 

“Can I see your art?” Lance asks suddenly, because it’s a question he’s been wanting to ask for a while now but has never had the nerves. Now seems like the perfect opportunity, until he notices the way Keith’s face drops.

“I don’t usually share my art with people,” Keith says.

“Oh, that’s fine,” Lance reassures, not wanting to make Keith feel bad. As much as he wants to see it, he understands it’s personal. 

Lance guides the conversation elsewhere for the next twenty minutes, talking about high school, his friends, and maybe he includes a few embarrassing stories at his expense for the sole purpose of making Keith laugh. And then Keith has to leave for work and Lance is left smiling dumbly at the library table.

 

 

 

Lance is on his bed suffering through endless physics homework when his phone lights up with a text, and he considers ignoring it for a second and actually being a good student but then he sees it’s from Keith and also… it’s a picture message. That catches Lance’s interest.

He picks up his phone, slides the text open, and then forgets to breath because there’s a picture of him, surrounded by space. And holy shit. Holy fuck. _Holy mother of crow._  He’s wearing Keith’s red jacket that he hasn’t given back yet. Lance is pretty sure his heart stops, or maybe it beats faster, all he knows is that he’s feeling a lot of things all at once.

With the picture is a text, that Lance hadn’t noticed until now because he’d been too busy _dying_ of pure happiness and shock and awe.

 **Keith**  
>I didn’t plan on showing you this when I drew it but you said you wanted to see my art so yeah

 **Lance**  
>this is the best day of my entire life  
>i have literally never been happier  
>I DONT EVEN HAVE WORDS KEITH  
>YOU HAVE MADE ME SPEECHLESS

 **Keith**  
>What an accomplishment  
>So you like it?

 **Lance**  
>KEITH  
>KEITH BUDDY  
>MY MAN  
>MY DUDE  
>I AM IN //LOVE// WITH IT

 **Keith**  
>Well I’m gonna go to bed now  
>I’m meeting you after work tomorrow right?

 **Lance**  
>YEAH  
>and then we’ll ride the bus to my apartment  
>and watch ur lame alien documentary  
>hunk might be there?? he’ll be in his room if he is  
>GOODNIGHT KEITH

 **Keith**  
>Goodnight Lance  
>I’ll see you tomorrow  
>You’re gonna like the documentary

“Oh my god,” Lance exhales, because he’s completely and utterly screwed. 

Things that don’t make a crush go away: _your crush sending you a picture they drew of you._  Things that make a crush stronger: _your crush sending you a picture they drew of you_.

 

 

 

Lance’s shift ends in ten minutes, and during those ten minutes he needs to figure out a way to chill his goddamn heart, which won’t stop speeding up at the thought of Keith, the thought of his dancing, of his smile, of the way his eyes crinkle when he laughs, _of the drawing_. Lance can’t stop thinking about the drawing. 

Lance knows he’s attractive. Sure, he doesn’t think he’s half as attractive as he leads people to believe, with the endless compliments he gives himself, but he knows he’s good looking to some degree. But the way Keith drew him, smiling in the middle of space, that makes Lance feel beautiful. _Is that how Keith sees him?_

He doesn’t entertain the thought of Keith liking him _like that_. Lance used to get his hopes up all the time, but no one was ever serious about him. They’d flirt back because he was entertaining, because he kept them amused, but no one had any interest beyond that. Lance was used to rejection, but he really, really doesn’t want to be rejected by Keith.

He decides his only solution is to shove his feelings deep down, but that plan goes out the fucking window the moment Keith walks through the coffee shop doors. It feels exactly like a scene from some cheesy romcom. _Queue: pretty person walking through door, hair blowing to the side. Queue: hopeless romantic pining from afar._

“Hey,” Keith greets, and Lance never stood a chance.

“Hey,” Lance says back, and fuck, he’s staring. He forces his eyes away from Keith, away from that unfairly beautiful face. “I’m almost done here. Just give me a second to get my stuff." 

“Okay,” Keith nods, leaning against the counter, and Lance rushes off to the back, ignoring his heart that keeps saying in beats: Ask! Keith! Out! His heart can shove it.

“You heading out?” Allura asks as Lance is taking off his work apron.

“Yep, shifts over. Gonna go watch an _alien documentary_ with Keith.” What he doesn’t tell her is that he might not make it to work on Monday because he’s not sure his heart can handle sitting through an entire documentary with Keith without completely bursting out of his chest.

“You seem nervous,” Allura observes.

Lance laughs, but there’s no humor to it. “Me? Nervous? Ha, no way.”

“You should take Shiro’s advice,” Allura suggests, and before he can tell her what a bad idea that is she’s walking away. Lance sighs.

Alright, time to face Keith. He can do this. Nothing to worry about. _Everything is good_ , except everything is not good because apparently all it takes for his stomach to get all fluttery is Keith just standing there, with his back to Lance.

Lance swallows down the urge to bolt and slides up next to Keith, offering a grin. “Ready to have an exce _lance_ time?”

Keith actually smiles at that, and then it turns playful. “Oh, I’m ready for a marve _lance_ time.”

And that right there is the exact moment Lance falls in love with Keith.

Okay, not really, Lance isn’t even sure if he’s known Keith long enough to fall in love, but it feels pretty damn close there for a second because not only did Keith not make fun of Lance for his lame ass joke,  _but he made one back._

 

 

 

So, Lance has to admit it’s an interesting documentary.

“I guess you were right,” Lance says casually, “I actually really liked it.” He still doesn’t believe in aliens, but hey, Keith is more than welcome to show him more documentaries in order to sway him. 

He glances at Keith, who’s beaming, and now he can’t turn away. Why does he have to be so pretty? _Why does his smile have to make Lance’s insides turn all mushy?_

“I knew you would,” Keith says, to which Lance nudges Keith’s thigh with his foot. He’s sitting at the opposite side of the couch, back against the side, legs spread out over the cushions. During the documentary, he’d had his legs over Keith’s lap, which had proved to be somewhat of a minor distraction, especially when Keith put his arms on them.

Keith nudges his feet with his elbow, and Lance nudges back, and then Keith is swinging his feet onto the couch and they’re caught in the middle of some ridiculous nudging war, which comes to an immediate halt the second Lance’s hand lands on Keith’s thigh.

Keith has his back pressed up against the side of the couch, and Lance’s is hovering over him, the hand that’s currently on Keith’s thigh supporting his weight. Neither of them move. Lance’s heart is freaking banging against his chest, and he tries to control his breathing.

 _Come on Lance! Just move! Move and then laugh this off!_ But he can’t move because Keith is looking at him with an expression he can’t read and his eyes are so beautiful and Lance finds himself glancing at his lips before he can stop himself and then—

 _Holy fucking mother of fuck_ , and then Keith is diving forward, grabbing Lance’s face and pushing their lips together. Their lips! Which means they’re kissing! _He’s kissing Keith_. Or more like, Keith is kissing him because Lance is too stunned to react, and then he realizes, for a second time, that holy shit Keith is kissing him and he needs to kiss back _right now!_

He thrusts forward, not prepared for the friction that’ll cause, letting out a small moan, which only seems to motivate Keith further, who now has his hands in Lance’s hair, pulling him closer, as if they weren’t already close enough (They weren’t.)

Lance runs his hand up Keith’s shirt without thinking, and Keith bucks his hips up which causes them both to moan and oh my god, Lance could come just listening to that sound. Alright, he’s being a little dramatic but Lance wants to hear that again! He wants to keep hearing it! He wants to be the reason Keith makes that sound!

Lance somehow manages, with great strength on his part, to get his lips away from Keith’s, moving them to Keith’s neck instead so he can suck at the skin, leave a mark as a reminder that this actually fucking happened. Keith makes that little noise again, and Lance’s hips go down the same time Keith’s comes up, looking for that friction, and _boy do they get it._

Lance lets out a whimper against Keith’s neck, and then he’s kissing Keith again, and everything feels hot and good, really good, but then Lance blinks and it’s gone, Keith’s hand on Lance’s chest, pushing him softly away.

Lance swallows, catching his breath, nerves floating around uncomfortably in his stomach. This is bad. This is very very very very bad. Not the kissing part, that was great, but the Keith pushing him away part.

“Um,” Lance starts, but that’s all he manages to get out, staring at Keith, searching for anything that will tell him how bad he’s screwed up.

“I should probably go,” Keith says, like it’s a question, and Lance wants to say please don’t go but instead he says—

“Right. Yeah. It’s getting late.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

Lance leans back, away from Keith, giving him room to get up and leave. Lance doesn’t want him to leave! Lance wants to go back to doing what they were doing only, like, a minute ago!

He tries to tell Keith he doesn’t have to go but all that comes out is, “We’re still meeting up tomorrow, right?”

“Um, yeah,” Keith says, standing up. “Yeah. Tomorrow. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll walk you to the door.”

“Okay.”

The walk to the door is short, but Lance is pretty sure it’s the longest walk he’s ever been on. This is his chance to tell Keith, they just made out on a goddamn couch for christ sake, but Lance’s gut wrenches and he can’t do it.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Lance says.

“See you tomorrow,” Keith says back, and then he’s gone, leaving Lance’s heart in his stomach. He misses the warmth, misses Keith’s skin against his, misses the tiny noises Keith made.

He just spent five minutes dry humping Keith on his couch and he might never get to do it again. He might never get to kiss him again. _He might’ve just ruined their friendship._

He hears the door knob turn, and his heart stops, expecting it to be Keith, but instead Hunk walks inside. He can’t hide the disappointment from his face.

“Hey man, did something happen with Keith? I saw him when I was walking up the stairs and he looked really sa—dude, are you okay? What happened?”

“I might’ve ruined everything,” Lance says, voice weak.

“Hey, I’m sure that’s not true,” Hunk reassures, placing a hand on Lance’s shoulder. “What happened?”

“Keith kissed me, and it was amazing. Hunk, _it was amazing_. And then we were making out and everything is going great and then he pushes me away and says he should go and he kind of looked like he didn’t want to go but I’m pretty sure I was just imagining that and I really don’t want to lose him, Hunk,” Lance rambles, anxious. 

“You said he kissed you?” Lance nods. “Then he must like you.”

“But what if he doesn’t?” 

“You won’t know unless you talk to him.”

“But—” 

“Talk to him, Lance.”

Lance lets out a breath. “Okay…”

“In the meantime, do you want to eat ice cream and watch Star Trek?” 

Lance smiles. It’s small and barely there, but it’s still a smile. “Only if we can cuddle.”

Hunk grins. “Of course, man. Always.”

 

 

 

Lance can feel the unspoken words between them like a lump in his throat. Neither of them has said a thing for the thirty minutes they’ve been here, their greeting consisting of unsure waves. To make matters worse, Keith hadn’t sent Lance his usual morning gym selfie. It shouldn’t be a big deal, it shouldn’t make Lance’s heart drop like it does, but Keith sends one every morning and if he’s stopping now, what else will stop because of the kiss?

They need to talk about it. Lance knows they need to talk about it, but every time he tries to start a sentence the words get caught in his throat like something’s blocking them. His fear, his worry, his insecurity. They shove the words down, make the silence between them thicker.

They only have an hour together on mondays, and the minutes keep ticking by, the silence dragging on, the words remaining unsaid. Lance needs to say something, but what is he supposed to say? He doesn’t want to ruin what they have, the routines they fell into, they way they easily fit into one another’s lives. But if he doesn’t say anything, it might just ruin itself.

The words are on the tip of his tongue, so close to coming out, worry swirling in his stomach, heart pounding. _Take a risk, Lance._  

“I like you,” Lance blurts, and he kind of feels like he’s going to throw up, but now the words are out there, now they don’t have to sit in the thickness of their silence.

“You—what?”

Lance is staring at the table, so he can’t see Keith’s expression, but he thinks he hears unsureness in Keith’s words, like he didn’t quite hear Lance right.

“I like you,” Lance says again, and this time he looks at Keith, who’s looking back at him, eyes conflicted and searching. “I think I’ve liked you ever since your only response to my embarrassing gym selfie was ‘lol’. And then we became friends, and I didn’t want to like you, because I didn’t what to ruin what we had, because I really like being your friend, so I tried to ignore my feelings but I couldn’t. I couldn’t make them go away and then you kissed me, and I thought, I thought for a second—but then you pushed me away.”

Lance stops to take a breath, and Keith is looking at him so intently that Lance can’t decide if it makes him want to shrink away or pull him closer. He opens his mouth to keep talking, to tell Keith that he wants them to still be friends, that he’ll get over his feelings, but he doesn’t get anything out because Keith gets there first, with words that send Lance’s heart to the moon.

“I like you, too,” Keith says like his life depends on it.

“Then why—” Lance starts to ask, but Keith knows where he’s going. 

“Because—because I thought you didn’t like me. I thought you knew that I liked you and you weren’t saying anything because you didn’t feel the same and you didn’t want to hurt me.”

Lance’s mouth falls open in disbelief. Keith likes him. “You like me,” he says, trying to process this new information, a warm giddy feeling rising in his chest as he does. “You like me,” he repeats, a smile taking over his face. “ _You like me_.”

Keith is staring at him, his smile uncertain. “Yeah.”

“Since when?” 

“Since before you sent me the gym picture.”

“What?!” He splutters.

Keith’s smile grows, and Lance’s heart comes back from the moon for the solid purpose of beating excessively in his chest.

“ _You fucking like me,_ ” Lance says yet again.

“We’ve established th—” 

“Holy shit, I’m gonna take you out. I mean, _can I take you out_?” Lance looks at Keith, a hopeful gleam in his eyes. “Keith, buddy, pal, do you wanna go on a date with me?”

Keith laughs, and it’s happy and beautiful and Lance has to resist the urge to pull him in and kiss him right then and there.

“Yes,” Keith says, nodding, smiling. “Yes, I’ll go on a date with you.”

 

 

 

“I left my jacket on purpose,” Keith gets out between kisses.

“What?” Lance breaths, Keith’s hands in his hair, Keith’s lips moving down to his neck.

“In the library,” Keith clarifies, breath hot against Lance’s neck. He leaves a hickey. “I left it on purpose. I wanted you to wear it.” He leaves another hickey.

With Keith’s lips sucking at the skin on his neck, it takes a moment for Lance to process what he’s said, but then it registers and he’s smiling like an idiot.

“Oh my god,” he exhales, finding Keith’s lips again, smiling against them. “You should take mine. When you leave.”

Keith pulls away for a moment, forehead dropping against Lance’s. “Yeah?” He asks, expression soft.

“Yeah,” Lance says, expression just as soft, and then they’re kissing again, Lance’s heart floating happily away.

This was never a crush he was meant to get over.

 

 

 

“Um,” Shiro starts the next day while Lance is at work. “Your neck.”

Lance furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “Huh?”

Shiro looks slightly uncomfortable, but then he kind of just _shrugs_ and says, “You have hickeys on your neck.”

Lance clasps a hand over his neck, heat rising in his cheeks.

“I’m gonna, um,” Lance swallows, nervous laughing. “I’m going to go cover these up. I’ll be right back,” he squeaks, practically running from Shiro.

He doesn't actually have anything to cover them up with, but he needed to get out of there.

Despite his current situation, Lance finds himself smiling when he looks at his neck in the mirror. _Keith did that_.

He pulls his phone from his pocket and opens snapchat.

 **lance** _to Pretty Boy_  
_(Lance stands in front of mirror, holding up head so neck is exposed, a drawn on red circle around his hickeys)_  
>thanks 4 these ur brother saw them

 **Pretty Boy**  
(Keith with his lips pressed together, the corners of his lips just barely pulled up in a smile)  
>lol

**Author's Note:**

> i started crying while thinking about lance today
> 
> comments and feedback are my kink
> 
> [tumblr](http://spacehance.tumblr.com/)
> 
> ([this is the choreography for the video keith shows lance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMEp88LRZ8g))


End file.
